Machine for operating on sheet material



Feb. 24, 19420 'R 2,273,887

MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHEET MATERIAL Filed Nov. 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 24, 1942. Q J. R. OLIVER 2,273,387

\ MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHEET MATERIAL Filed Nov. 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l/E/V TZjA I %M Patented Feb. 24, 1942 UNITED STATE MACHINE FOR s PATENT OFFICE OPERATING N SHEET MATERIAL John R. Oliver, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application November 3, 1939, Serial No. 302,730- 8 Claims. (01. 33-129) to an edging machine of the so-called flame type, such as that disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,017,055, issued October 15, 1935, on the application of H. T. Doulette et al.

In machines of the character above referred to, it is frequently desirable to keep track of the amount of work that passes through the machine. This can best be accomplished by attaching a wheel type measuring device to the machine in such aposition that the wheel will be rotated by work passing through the machine. To obtain increased accuracy, particularly on work pieces having an irregular edge contour, it is usual to set the measuring wheel close to the feed roll, so that the faces of the roll and the wheel are parallel. With such an arrangement, however, it is desirable to prevent particles from collecting between the two; or, in a machine such as that disclosed inthe above Letters Patent, to prevent a deposit of carbon from building up on the feed roll in such a manner that it will rub against'the measuring wheel and causeit to rotate when no work is passing through the machine.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a machine for operating on the edge of apiece of sheet material which will function more efficiently and be more readily adaptable for various types of work. It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved measuring device for such a machine in which a measuring wheel'and a separate feed roll contact with the work close to each other thereby to increase the accuracy of the device.

In accordance with an important feature of the invention, the illustrated machine is provided with a driven feed roll adjacent to which is mounted a measuring wheel disposed at an angle to the feed roll. On the side Where the wheel and the roll contact the work, they are closely associated with each other so that they effect an accurate measurement of the work. On the other side, however, they are more widely separated and at that point there may be provided between them a scraper-like member which removes from their inner faces any matter which may be collected there and which, if not removed, might cause them to rotate together regardless of whether any work is inthe machine. Connected to the measuring wheel there is provided mechanism for registering the number of feet of material which has passedbeneath the wheel.

Still another feature of the invention resides in an arrangement permitting a yielding'radial movement of the measuring wheel as variations in the thickness of the work are encountered. Provision is also made for adjusting this wheel with respect to the feed roll and, as illustrated,

a spring against which the wheel yields'is also employed to lock in position an adjustable eccentric bearing for said Wheel.

Other features of the invention will appear from the specification and from the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the head of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a section through the feed roll and measuring wheel;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the feed roll and a modified form of the measuring wheel;

Fig. 4 is a section along the line IVIV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an edge view of the modified measuring wheel and feed roll;

Fig. 6 shows the face of the feed roll from a point indicated by the arrow VI in Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is an end elevation of the head with the register mechanism broken away to show the iron and torch; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the improved head.

Since the invention is illustrated as applied to a Well-known type of machine foroperating on the edge of a piece of sheet material, only such parts of the machine as it is necessary to refer to for an understanding of the invention are shown and will be described in detail. Features of the general organization of machines of this type are disclosed in the above referred to Letters Patent No. 2,017,055. Referring now to Fig. 1, it will be understood that a hollow arm l0 overhangs a Work support l2 and has a subframe l6 secured to it by a screw-and-slot connection l4. Fastened to this subframe by another screw-and-slot connection l8 with a rearward arm I! of an L-shaped member IS, in a manner presently to be explained in detail, is a register frame 20 and in this frame is mounted a feed roll 22 which cooperates with a supporting roll 23 to move the work past the point of operation of an iron 24 and a plow 26. An aperture is made in the lower end of the register frame to receive a bushing 21 (Fig. 2) in which rotates a stud shaft 28 made integral with the feed roll. The axis of the stud shaft 28 is inclined downtoward the body of a piece of 34 is pinned to the other end of the stud shaft and it meshes with a second bevel gear (not shown) secured to a shaft 36 connected to the driving mechanism of the machine.

A measuring roll or wheel 38 mounted on the register frame 20 close to and substantially coaxially with the feed roll but at a slight angle thereto so that, at the points of engagement with the work, the end face of the wheel and the end face of the roll are closely associated with each other but are spaced apart a greater distance at their upper edges. To provide a bearing for the measuring wheel, that portion of the outer surface of the bushing 21 that projects from the aperture in the frame 20 has a cylindrical form, the axis of this cylinder being tilted down toward the body of the work and disposed at an oblique angle to the axis of the stud shaft 28. A pair of annular rings 40 fit over this bushing and are beveled to form a raceway for a series of balls 42 on which the measuring wheel 38 is freely rotatable independently of the feed roll.

Teeth 43 cut in the periphery of the measuring wheel serve a dual purpose: first, to provide a non-:slipping surface to be engaged by the work when it passes beneath the wheel; and secondly,

. to mesh'with a gear 44 mounted on a short shaft 46 journaled in the indicator frame 20. A second gear 48 is mounted on this short shaft, and it meshes with another gear (not shown) which is connected to a registering device 49 of any convenient type, preferably one which will show the linear extent of work which has passed beneath the measuring wheel.

The angular relation of the end faces of the measuring wheel and the feed roll, resulting from the oblique angle between their axes, substanstantially eliminates the possibility that particles of material may build up in the space between the two in such a way as to cause them to rotate together regardless of whether or not work is passing through the machine. Further to insure against this accumulation of matter, there is provided between the two wheels and integral with the bushing 21 a wedge-shaped scraper member 50. This scraper member is so positioned that it does not touch the inner surfaces of either the measuring wheel or the feed roll but is close enough to each of them so that it will scrape off any accumulation of matter which might cause the feed roll to draw the measuring wheel with it as it is rotated.

An alternative form of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 3 through 6. In this form of the invention, the feed roll 22 is similar to that already described. It is desirable, in some cases, that the measuring wheel I38 should be adjustable vertically so that it may be set in proper relation to the feed roll when the machine is assembled. It is also desirable that the measuring wheel I38 should be able to yield slightly to accommodate variations in thickness of a piece of work W as itpasses through the machine. To this end the annular rings I40 are carried on a neck I39 projecting from the register frame 20 and are located in a groove I4I between the frame 20 and an enlarged head I43 on the bushing 21. The rings I40 are bored slightly off center so that the inner and outer peripheries are eccentric, making the rings slightly wider (Fig. 4) at one side than at the other. A series of holes I52 are bored in the ring to receive the end I54 of a spring I56 carried on a screw I58 threaded into the indicator frame. By lifting out the spring end I54 and turning the rings I40 in one direction or the other, the measuring wheel may be moved, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6, toward or away from the work relative to the feed roll and then locked in adjacent position by reinserting the end I54. It will be noted that the apertures in the annular rings I40 are slightly larger than the cylindrical surface over which they fit. Thus, the spring I56 normally holds the upper side of the rings against the cylindrical surface of the bushing 21 on which they are carried, but when the measuring wheel encounters a thick spot in the work, it is free to lift in the space I4I against the action of the spring I56 and without changing its angular relation to the feed roll and so will not cause the work to jam or otherwise interfere with the operation of the machine. It is to be noted that the measuring wheel is provided with two sets of teeth. The inner set I60 is quite fine and is adapted to be engaged by the work passing beneath it. The outer set I62 is somewhat coarser and particularly suited to mesh with the second gear 44 which drives the register mechanism.

It has been found desirable to have the register and feed unit as a whole adjustable relative to the other parts of the machine. This, in a front-to-back direction, is accomplished by the screw-and-slot connection I8 securing the register frame 20 to the arm II of the L-shaped member I9. Further adjustment laterally toward the iron 24 is made possible by afiixing a lateral arm 65 of the member I9 to a laterally projecting lug 6! on a hollow carrier rod 66 (Figs. 1 and 7) by means of a second screw-and-slot connection 64. This hollow carrier rod 66 is slidable vertically in borings in a lower arm 68 and an upper arm I0 of the subframe, and is held against rotation by an arm I2 slidable vertically in a slot I4 (Fig. 8) in the sub-frame I6. The arm I2 is provided with an integral strap portion I3 which extends around the carrier rod, and the arm is clamped to the rod by means of a screw I5 extending through the strap and into the body of the arm. The carrier rod 66 is held in its lowest position by a spring (not shown) the tension of which may be adjusted by a thumb screw I6.

Somewhat similar mechanism is provided for the holder I8 (Fig. 7) in which the iron 24 is carried. To permit the machine to be readily adjusted when it is being set up, one end of this holder is fastened by a screw-and-slot connection to a bracket 82 and the other end bears a lug 84 which is slidable in a vertically slotted member 86 secured to a lower arm 88 of a member 90 pivoted on pivot screws 92 in the subframe. The bracket 82 is attached by a screwand-slot connection 94 to a hollow carrier rod 96 which is vertically slidable in the lower arm 88 and an upper arm 98 of the pivoted member 90. A spring (not shown) holds the carrier rod in its lowest position, the tension of the spring being adjustable by means of a thumb screw I00. An arm I02 (Fig. 8) similar to the arm I2 of the carrier rod 66 is clamped to the carrier rod 96 and is slidable vertically in a slot in the subframe to hold this carrier rod against rotation. This construction permits the iron'to be adjusted from front to back and sideways independently of the feed'roll by the setting up adjustment just described. Furthermore, the turning of a thumb screw I03 threaded into the member 90' causes the latter to swing about the pivot screws 92, thus moving the iron toward or away from. the plow, but without shifting the position of. the feed roll and measuring Wheel.

It is desirable to facilitate the lifting of the iron and the feed and register mechanism in order to simplify the insertion of the Work in the machine. To this end, there are provided two pins I04 (Figs. 7 and 8) the upper ends of which rest against the two arms 12 and I02. Adjacent to the lower ends of these pins is a shaft I06 (Fig. 8) journaled in the subframe and on one end of this shaft a thumb lever I08 is provided. The other end of the shaft I06 has integral with it a lever arm I I so that when the thumb lever is depressed the lever arm III] will lift thepins I04, thus raising the feed mechanism and the iron. The shaft I06 is slidable in the frame so that the lever arm H0 may be positioned be-' neath either one of the pins or beneath both at once, thus enabling the operator to raise either the iron or feed roll independently of the other or to raise them both together.

A torch II2 for heating the iron 24 is substantially similar to that illustrated in the above identified Letters Patent to Doulette et al. A holder I I4 in which the torch is secured by means of a screw II6 (Fig. 1) is made adjustable laterally of the line of feed by means of a thumb screw H8 and is slidable vertically in a dovetailed slot I formed in brackets I2] adjustably attached to the subframe. A slot I22 in the end of an operator controlled lever I24 receives a roller I25 secured to the torch holder so that movement of a treadle (not shown) connected to the lever I24 will raise the torch, thereby to carry it to a position where very little heat is applied to the iron.

As in the machine disclosed in the Doulette et a1. patent, the passageway in the hollow arm I0 is connected to an exhaust fan (not shown) so that the fumes and smoke created by the action of the iron and the flame on the leather will be drawn off. To bring the exhaust opening I26 (Fig, 7) closer to the iron, the lower arm 88 of the iron-carrying member 90 is made hollow at a point adjacent to said passageway so that the point of intake is directly behind the plow 26. In order to maintain the proper suction at the opening I26 a flexible gasket I28 of any suitable type is provided between the lower arm 88 of th pivoted member 90 and the hollow arm I0. Thus, regardless of the position of the pivoted member, the gap between the lower arm 88 and the hollow arm I0 is kept substantially closed. A screen I30 is also provided to cover the end of the passageway in the hollow arm I0 and prevent sparks or cinders from passing into the exhaust of the machine.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Ina machine for operating on the edge of an article of sheet material, a frame, a shaft journaled in said frame, a rotatable roll mounted on said shaft and constructed and arranged to feed work past the operating point of the machine, a bearing surrounding said shaft, a measuring wheel on said bearing, the axis of the measuring wheel being at an oblique angle to the axis 9f the feed roll whereby the wheel at the point where it is engaged by the work is closer to the feed roll than at other points, and means actuated by the measuring wheel for registering the amount of work passing the operating point of the machine.

2. In a machine for operating on the edge of an article of sheet material, a rotatable r011 for feeding work past the operating point of the machine, a measuring wheel mounted with its end face opposed to the end face of said roll and constructed and arranged to be rotated by the work, said roll and wheel being substantially coaxially mounted but with the axis of the measuring wheel at an oblique angle to the axis of the feed roll whereby the wheel, at the point where it is engaged by the work, is closer to the feed roll than at other points, said measuring wheel being yieldably mounted for movement toward and away from the work in a direction normay to its axis whereby the whee1 may moveradially independently of the feed roll without changing its angular relation thereto, and means actuated by the measuring wheel for registering the amount of work passing the operating point of the machine.

3. In a machine for operating on the edge of an article of sheet material, a rotary feed roll, a measuring wheel positioned closely alongside said roll and rotated by work passing the operating point of the machine, a bearing for said feed roll, a bearing on which said measuring wheel is mounted at an angle to the feed roll whereby the wheel and the roll are more closely associated adjacent the work than at other points, a scraper constructed and arranged to remove from the inner face of the feed roll particles adhering thereto, and means actuated by the measuring wheel for registering the amount of work passing the operating point of the machine.

4. In a machine for operating on the edge of an article of sheet material, a work table, a feed roll, a measuring wheel closely adjacent to said feed roll and rotated by work passing the operating point of the machine, a support, a bearing for the measuring wheel comprising a member loosely surounding said support and having its outer surface eccentric with respect to said support to enable said wheel to be adjusted toward and away from said table, spring means for locking the bearing against rotation constructed and arranged also to urge it toward the table, and means actuated by the measuring wheel for registering the amount of work passing the operating point of the machine.

5. In a machine for operating on the edge of an article of sheet material, a frame, a work table,

a bushing in the frame, a feed roll journaled in the bushing, a measuring roll closely adjacent to said feed roll and rotated by Work passing the operating point of the machine, an eccentric rotatably mounted ring-bearing for the measuring roll loosely carried by the frame and surrounding the bushing and constructed and arranged to enable said roll to be adjusted toward and away from said table, means for locking the ring-bearing against rotation, a spring urging said ring-bearing toward the work, and means actuated by the measuring roll for registering the amount of work passing the operating point of the machine.

6. In a machine for operating on the edge of an article of sheet material. a'frame, a driven feed roll, a measuring whee1 rotated by work passing the operating point of the machine, the measuring whee1 being mounted in the frame with its end face opposing the end face of the feed roll and being positioned at an agle to the feed roll whereby the wheel on the side where it is engaged by the work is closer to the roll than on the opposite side, means for mounting said wheel in said frame and enabling the wheel to yield slightly radially, a scraper carried on the frame and positioned between the roll and the wheel on the side where they are most widely separated, and means actuated by the measuring wheel for registering the amount of work passing the operating point of the machine.

7. In a machine for operating at a predetermined operating point upon the edge portion of an article of sheet material having an irregular contour, a work support, a feed roll carrying the Work over said support, said roll engaging the work beside the operating point thereby facilitating the turning of the work to follow its contour, a measuring wheel rotated by frictional contact with the work with a lower edge of the wheel engaging the work at a point beside the feed roll, said wheel having its upper portion spaced more widely from the feed roll than its lower portion, and bearings for said feed roll and said wheel positioning their axes at an oblique angle to one another in a plane substantially through the operating point, and means actuated by the measuring wheel for registering the amount of work passing the operating tool.

8. In a machine for operating upon the edges of shoe upper parts at a fixed point with the bodies of said parts extending to one side of said point, a work support, a narrow feed r011 00- operating with the work support to carry the shoe upper past the operating point, the axis of said feed roll being tilted from the horizontal down toward the body of the work parts, a measuring wheel closely adjacent to the side of said feed roll which is nearer the body of the work, a bearing therefor supporting said wheel for rotation about an axis still further tipped from the horizontal down toward the body of the work whereby the wheel is closer to the feed roll at the point of its engagement with the work than at other points, and means actuated by the measuring wheel for registering the amount of work passing the operating point.

JOHN R. OLIVER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,275,887. February 211., 1911.2.

JOHN R OLIVER It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, first column, line 12, before "mounted" insert --is; line 58, for "draw" read -drag and second column, line 11, for "adjacent" read -adj ustedpage 5, second column, line 19-20, claim 2, for "normay" read n'ormal--;

line 1.1.6, claim )4, for "surounding" read surrounding-; and that the said Letters Patent shoald be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 5th day or May, A. 'D. 19L 2.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

